Richard Koo appears to be one of the small group of dissenters vocally critical of the economic and fiscal policies of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his Cabinet.
Koo, chief economist at Nomura Research Institute Ltd., believes that fiscal stimulus steps are necessary for Japan to achieve sustainable economic growth and that the government shouldn't be hasty disposing of banks' nonperforming loans.
Now his prescriptions for the Japanese economy are being shared more by Japanese business and political circles and also, it seems, by some in the United States.